Exclusive: 'FlashForward' shuts down production

Sources confirm to me exclusively that ABC has temporarily shut down production on the rookie drama. The move comes a month after the departure of co-showrunner, Marc Guggenheim, and less than a week after FlashForward hit a new ratings low.

An Alphabet spokesperson confirms the shutdown, but is quick to note that the show’s schedule was designed to accommodate such breaks. “They started production early so that they could have the luxury to do this,” says the rep. “They want to maintain the high quality of the show, and this gives the writers the opportunity to do so.”

FlashForward‘s lull won’t be nearly as long as the month-long creative hiatus ABC imposed over at V. The Alphabet rep says FF — which airs its mid-season finale on Dec. 3 — will resume production on Monday after just a six-day break.

What do you think? Is FlashForward in need of a little creative tinkering? Sound off below!

You have to give a show like flashforward time to develope it’s characters and let the story evolve. Shutting this show down before they let the twists and turns reveal themselves will be a huge mistake.

jared4ever

Mon 11/23/09 8:52 PM

I was sooo excited about this show in the beginning. What a disappointment.

I agree !! I was so excited for this show but week after week, I’m losing interest quickly. Last weeks episode was the nail in the coffin for me…..I understand things need to take time to build so a good story can be told but Flashforward is not Lost. They need to place a piece of the puzzle in each and every episode to keep people talking and that’s something they’re not doing. Tell me this, what does finding the “love of your life” 6 months in the future keep us interested on how did this huge blackout happen ??!!
The ratings have spoken, cancel the show already.

PJ

Tue 11/24/09 3:28 PM

the show lost me 3 weeks ago. Just lost interest…..

T

Tue 11/24/09 6:31 PM

Doc, I am one who is very grateful that FF is NOT like “Lost”. “Lost” is the most highly overrated drivel still on the air. I for one will be celebrating when it officially ends (I checked out after the second episode). The moment that FF begins exhibiting signs of Lost-type storytelling, I’m out.

BTW, last week’s episode of FF was very interesting and one that I enjoyed that much more. I’m a patient viewer, unlike most, and my only hope is that this series revs up its blackout storyline. It needs that extra…oomph if you will to lure back those viewers that its slowly but surely shedding.

cocoloco

Tue 11/24/09 6:49 PM

last week’s episode made me hang on…loved the message of hope..can’t wait to see more of Bryce and Keiko…I nearly gave up on this show having to look at boring doctor and her maybe infidelity… too soap-opery

Maddy

Tue 11/24/09 7:25 PM

T – Anyone who would go on a public board and proudly proclaim that they “checked out after the second episode” of a series can’t possibly be in a position to make anything other than a completely ignorant comment about that series. Offering what is, by your own admission, a completely ignorant opinion based on your willful ignorance only serves to make you look foolish. The fact that you’re too slow to keep up with Lost really isn’t anything to brag about.

Both FF and V need to up the ante a little. They have great concepts and casts, and the frame of their stories are good, but the action level is a little drab.
Sometimes it seems like they are a little too impressed with their stories and have forgotten to add in the ‘oh crap’ moments that make shows worth watching.
I really hope both of these shows can pick back up and coalesce(sp?) into something better than they are now.

I like that FF takes time to develope story lines. They don’t want to turn this show in to the next Heroes, too much action, not enough character development. I love FF and will continue to watch every week!

Well said, Frank

Tue 11/24/09 9:20 AM

I couldn’t agree more. Both shows can get a little talky. Let’s have more “D. Gibbons is a very bad man” and more crows flying over dead villagers, and less melodrama between a potential drunk and his angry bearded spon-sah.

tv bug

Tue 11/24/09 5:46 PM

I like both shows but, this showing of two or three episodes and then putting it on hold makes me lose interest. They did it with Lost and now they are doing it with FF & V. They don’t give us time to get into the characters, let alone the story before they yank it off the air and expect us to wait with interest. Sorry! The orginal V was a grabber. You couldn’t wait for the next part. So far, neither FF nor V. have been able to do that for me and now they put them on hiatus.

I haven’t given up on it yet, but Joseph Fiennes is by far the weakest link. The show has it’s problems, but I still think it would be 10x more enjoyable with a leading man we could actually feel empathy for.

I third Joseph Fiennes utterly atrocious acting. How did he land this role? How did he land his predecessor roles? The show is real bad and deserves an early grave.

gerritv

Mon 11/23/09 8:24 PM

I quadruple this sentiment. Joseph Fiennes has one expression – grim. That seems to be the limit of this muppet mouthed actor’s range.

Anna

Mon 11/23/09 8:29 PM

So much of the acting on this show is horrible, but it’s true that Joseph Fiennes is the worst! I keep watching hoping it’ll get better, but it hasn’t happened yet. It doesn’t help that my favorite character isn’t on the show anymore.

jared4ever

Mon 11/23/09 8:54 PM

Add smug to his short list of expressions and you’ve about got him summed up. A thoroughly unlikeable and unsympathetic character. He’s no Jack Bauer that’s for sure!

bootsycolumbia

Mon 11/23/09 9:29 PM

I septuple Joseph Fiennes acting. Lots of you have mentioned his lack of facial expressions, but I’ll add one more component: his awful accent. His American accent is all over the place to the point where I find it distracting.

Mike

Mon 11/23/09 9:43 PM

Really? I thought that John Cho was the protagonist.

ej

Tue 11/24/09 12:18 AM

agree with all of you

Jane

Tue 11/24/09 1:13 AM

Joseph is hot, that’s why they hired him. Most of Hollywood is like that. Cute sure, but good actor? Dream on!

dogfoot

Tue 11/24/09 2:30 AM

He does glowering REALLY well…

Gill Eapen

Tue 11/24/09 2:41 AM

I totally agree with you all. Joseph Fiennes is just one bad actor. I used to tell my roommate that I thought he was the weakest link and now I am finding out that its the majority sentiment out there. I know the economy is tough and the gentleman needs a job but he must be replaced for the betterment of the show.

Liz

Tue 11/24/09 8:48 AM

Have you seen Elizabeth? I agree that he plays this character a little too 0ne-note, but he is a good actor. And I for one, like his “muppet mouth.”

Stef

Tue 11/24/09 12:07 PM

Remember that scene where they’re in a bar and he yells “because I was LOADED, ALL RIGHT??” it was hilarious!

Anna

Tue 11/24/09 12:20 PM

Joseph’s a decent actor. He’s just miscast in this role. And for the record, Kiefer Sutherland really isn’t any better in his role. His character is slightly more fleshed out but the acting isn’t there that I can see.

Jay

Tue 11/24/09 12:30 PM

Joe Fiennes is the only reason I watch this show.

meme

Tue 11/24/09 4:17 PM

Joseph Fiennes is so hot, he could stare at a paper bag for an hour and I’d watch! YUM! More scenes with him PLEASE!

WotV

Tue 11/24/09 4:23 PM

Fiennes is a terrible actor. He’s like a kid in a High School Play. Overacting is NOT a good thing.

actingup

Tue 11/24/09 5:25 PM

HE IS HORRIBLE!!!!!!!! I totally agree…his acting makes me laugh he is so bad…but then I get furious that they cast a Brit instead of an American…but half the cast is British…HIRE AMERICANS!!!!!! There are thousand and thousands of actors here who need work – no need to import actors.

Marie

Tue 11/24/09 5:51 PM

I concur! Fiennes is a horrible actor. I used to think he was kinda passable in FF, but last week’s episode made he realize he’s incredibly limited range as an actor. And he’s especially bad at reacting, as in he doesn’t know how to react to the other characters in the scene, and that’s a sign of a really horrible actor.

deniz

Wed 12/02/09 5:02 AM

I sometimes find myself laughing at his overly dramatic acting. I don’t think that’s supposed to happen at a such high profile show.

deniz

Wed 12/02/09 5:04 AM

just look at him at the picture used for this article. its hilarious

DT

Mon 11/23/09 10:31 PM

And the Fiennes bashing continues! DT Dives off the top rope to give Joseph Fiennes a flying elbow to the head and yell in his ear, “SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE was overrated, Bitch!”
Sorry, it just looked so fun when the rest of you were piling on.

I just noticed that his last name is Fiennes, and he kind of looks like Ralph Fiennes. Any relation?

Katie

Tue 11/24/09 11:23 AM

James, they are brothers!

Lauren

Mon 11/23/09 11:46 PM

I just watched that episode last night and it finally hit me how boring this show is. They don’t have enough heart-skipping revelation moments. Very often when something new is revealed there’s no context for it (like when that guy handed over the suitcase with the rings) and it becomes ‘uh, so?’ moment. I’m starting to wonder why I’m watching. That’s never a good thing.

I really hope this show continues. I really enjoy the amount of time I spend thinking of how it will play out. I think it is my favorite show this year. ABC I am begging you let this make it to the flash.

um can you just shut up lee? i hate when people say that. SHE’S HERE BECAUSE SHE WANTS TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THE SHOW IS SO CRAP SHE STOPPED WATCHING. just shut up jerk

Doc

Tue 11/24/09 1:11 PM

hahaha…..Thank you Jane, I was thinking the same thing. Hey, we all started liking the show and just because we feel it was a great disappointment, we have a right to our opinion whether we still watch or not.

Jane

Tue 11/24/09 9:04 PM

lol i didn’t mean to go that nuts, but it’s what i really feel. Doc, I think the show is a HUGE disappointment. Sure, there are some people who blindly follow and think it’s “the best show ever”, but really the show can’t escape its premise. The writing is horrible. With so many possibilities, its surprising they just made another generic crime show with some sci-fi.

katie

Mon 11/23/09 7:38 PM

maybe im alone bit i really like this show. ive liked it more and more as the season has progressed.

r u serious y is it shutting down everyone talks about it this show is my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lee

Mon 11/23/09 10:02 PM

I like it too. It’s one of the best shows of the season. I especially liked last week’s episode. I hope they develop Bryce’s story arc more. This show is only getting better but if you don’t have the patience for it, then go back to watching something that doesn’t require much thinking.

It’s always an easy excuse to say that viewers who don’t enjoy this kind of show aren’t smart or cerebral enough to “get it.” But that’s short-sighted and too simple to be true. I love lots of “challenging” shows (BSG, Lost, Mad Men) that deal in subtlety and slow burns, but I feel that FF is a pretender and doesn’t have the depth or quality of character that gives those other shows I metnioned their strengths. FF is full of cardboard cut-outs reading lines that sound nothing like real people. And the plot has no organic feel. It just feels like some writer plotting. So, it’s not about the audience, Lee. It’s actually about the show. Kudos for the enjoyment you get from it, but don’t act like it’s OUR fault that the show doesn’t consistently deliver.

Jason

Tue 11/24/09 11:55 AM

I like it a lot too – I don’t get all the bashing…

Sarah El

Mon 11/23/09 11:07 PM

I agree; I really like this show and there is some really spectacular stuff there. It’s imperfect, but I’d be wrong to ask for more than the show can give. And the most recent episode, so character-centric, was brilliant. I look forward to seeing more of that in the future.

I would love this show if there were actual characters on screen. Right now, all I see are talking heads debating about philosophy…I really wanted to like this show, but I need to care about some of these people eventually.

Jenni Hilton

Mon 11/23/09 7:39 PM

I like the show. The characters are compelling and the mystery and plot is very different than anything out there. It gives us Lost and 24 fans something to fill our time! Please keep it going!

I’m from UK & loving Flashforward, it’s one of those shows when you watch a second time you notice links to past/future events you missed the first time. V on the other hand is (A) Not out over here yet, & (B) ANOTHER re-make. (Originality is a dieing breed).

…and learn how to spell “dying” correctly. Man, it’s like no one knows how to spell that word anymore.

Emma

Tue 11/24/09 8:22 AM

Maybe you could inform someone of something they obviously didn’t know without the sarcasm.

Jett

Wed 11/25/09 3:29 AM

Yeah, but the show is straying a long way from the book…it’s almost like the only things they have in common are the blackout concept and the same title.

Vetinari

Mon 11/23/09 7:42 PM

I wanted to like it but it did nothing with the concept and I’m losing interest. Supposedly this gigantic human worldwide tragedy has occurred with tens of millions dying and more injured, and yet everyone is going about their job like it’s not a big deal other than their personal concerns. The show gives off an air that they didn’t think through the concept at all.

This post made me laugh. They “did nothing with the concept”? What does that even mean–the entire show is CENTERED around the concept. As for how the world dealt with the aftermath, what exactly would you expect–a show about 10 million funerals? Life goes on. Not sure what you expected from this show.

It means they didn’t show much sense of the worldwide tragedy. Remember after 9/11? That was just a few thousand people and it was much more of a stunned country than anything they showed on FF. It would be many times that bad, but everyone is just going in to work. Hostpials are treating patients like normal instead of being overwhelmed by masses of injuries like they would have been etc. Yep they did nothing with the concept.

Lisa Simpson

Mon 11/23/09 9:39 PM

I agree, Vetinari. There was no sense at all of the scope of the event, and I’m really tired of the whining of the lead characters. I also wanted to like this show, as the premise was interesting, but the writing and acting have been very bad. And, like “V”, too much was given away in the pilot episode. They needed to build the intrigue, but they didn’t. I gave up several weeks ago.

Paul

Mon 11/23/09 10:09 PM

I hate to tell you this Vetinari, but people–New Yorkers included–went back to their jobs the day after 9/11. They got on with their lives. Why should the people in FlashForward behave any differently?

Mujer

Mon 11/23/09 10:54 PM

LOL-Vetinari: Off topic but the you reminded me that the new Terry Pratchett book is out. As far as FF: I think it happened as you think but is only shown from the perspective of the main characters. FF will find it’s voice sometimes you just have to have some patience and let a show develop.

mo

Mon 11/23/09 11:15 PM

I agree that they probably didn’t show enough of the world in general freaking out (let alone several 24-hour news channels engaging in a frenzy of 24-hour nonstop finger-pointing, speculation and no facts, as would really happen), but most of the peripheral personal stuff has been pretty cool. The blue hand people engaging in super-risky behaviour because they think they are going to die, anyway; the guy committing suicide to make things change; the different visions or lack thereof…

Mujer, new Terry Pratchett? Oh joy. Too bad it isn’t about the Watch or Moist Von Lipwig. Oh well. With the poor guy having been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, I’ll take anything he sends our way.

HMR_in_SV

Tue 11/24/09 7:06 PM

If the writers want to write their way out of this mess they could listen to people like Lisa and Mo. The tragedy of that day should be explored, including the paradoxes created by deaths that wouldn’t have happened if the event hadn’t happened. There is a lot of story there, with action and human emotion to be discovered. Like the Blue Hand group, there would have been many societal changes caused by this event. For example, what about people at various war fronts? Just imagine the effect on strategy and tactics.

Victoria

Mon 11/23/09 7:42 PM

I really love the show and its actors so I really hope it survives!! It definitely has a lot of potential.

I really like FF and hope it continues to grow strong. I have wondered though how far they can continue to take the concept but I am fascinated by it. I love V so far too. I don’t feel too worried. This doesn’t seem like a death blow or desperate attempt to save the show to me.